Appreciate What You Have

The owner of a small business, a friend of the poet Olavo Bilac, met him on the street and asked him: “Mr Bilac, I need to sell my small farm, the one you know so well. Could you please write an announcement for me for the newspaper?”

Bilac wrote:

FOR SALE: A beautiful property where birds sing at dawn in extensive woodland bisected by the brilliant and sparkling waters of a large stream. The house is bathed by the rising sun. It offers tranquil shade in the evenings on the verandah.

Some time later the poet met his friend and asked whether he had sold the property, to which he replied: “I’ve changed my mind. When I read what you had written, I realized the treasure that was mine.”

In reality we possess nothing, as all things belong to the Lord, but on this plane during this illusion we exist in, for this lifetime, there are certain possessions that we regard as belonging to us. The number and quality of these possessions was determined by our fate karmas for this lifetime. Every single possession should be valued and regarded as being in our trust for the Lord. It is immaterial whether these possessions are extensive or few – as satsangis we know that we receive exactly what is in our destiny; no more, no less. It is totally idiotic to feel proud because we have much, or to feel deprived because we have little. In fact, if we look at things objectively, we actually need very little to fulfil our daily needs. The rest is just trimmings and frills, and unfortunately Kal often uses them to boost our ego.

But something else was written into this life’s destiny. We received something of such immense value that it cannot be comprehended or fully realized by our puny human minds. We received initiation from a perfect Master. We have the astral form of a perfect Satguru awaiting us at the eye focus. This is not a fairytale; it is a fact stressed by the Master over and over. All we need to do is meditate regularly and punctually, with loving devotion and concentration at the eye centre for the daily required time.

Bilac’s friend had to read the description of his property before he realized the treasure that was his. We have so many books, where again and again we can read descriptions of the treasure that is ours. Let us take this to heart. Let us constantly be aware of just how great a gift we have received – of just how lucky and blessed we are. Let us not neglect our duty.

Isn’t becoming blasé about it, becoming used to it and taking our treasure for granted, a bit like contemplating the “For Sale” sign?

Luckily for us, this possession cannot be sold, but it can lie dormant somewhere in a corner, like something hidden away in a cupboard, seldom used and often forgotten. What a waste! What negligence!

Let us wake up before it is too late. We do not know how much time was allotted to us for this lifetime. Let us fully realize our treasure and diligently polish it, guard it and try to comprehend it. It is beyond price.